I get 100-150 hours out of a surfboard then it breaks. They usually get a little crack somewhere, take on some water, the foam degrades and boof, a ginormous crack appears.

It gets a bit tiresome replacing $1000+ boards every other year. It works out at about $10 and hour of use. The cost is a relatively minor issue. I just don't want to be forced to replace a board when I am still enjoying riding it.

I have gone through several production boards from major kiteboard manufacturers. I do like to boost big and I have no intention of stopping. Almost all my landings are super smooth but the odd kiteloop landing comes down with a bang.

Repairs are not really an option. It's a nuisance getting the board fixed and the initial cracks are often too small to find. After a major structural repair the board usually only lasts 10 hours or so until it breaks again.

The options as I see them are:

- move to a mutant built with twintip technology. (my TTs have hundreds of hours of extreme abuse and are still like new).

- get a local shaper to clone my favourite boards. He can make the boards much cheaper and use better quality foams that are more durable and easier to repair.

I vote for the local the shaper, followed by the mutant.I've made a skim (not into it, too short), an alaia, a flat/wide directional, and latest a thing modeled pretty much after the BRM paipo board.I gave the paipo thing a little more outline curve but kept the little TT fins. Works great.It should hold up fine, 18oz glass over wood core.No straps but that could be done, as could surfboard fins....

...I've made a skim (not into it, too short), an alaia, a flat/wide directional, and latest a thing modeled pretty much after the BRM paipo board....

That's plan C. My favourite board is more a skim with fins so it would be quite easy to shape in paulonia. I had given up making my own boards because of the dust and nasty chemicals. I guess shaping a wooden board could be a little less toxic.

I've had issues with some chemicals myself but do better with:Resin Research epoxyIsopropyl alcohol as the only solvent used for cleanupAs much as possible wet-in-wet layup to minimize sanding.Can't get a good gloss without sanding at least once, still.Hate sanding...Additive F in the resin helps....

...I've made a skim (not into it, too short), an alaia, a flat/wide directional, and latest a thing modeled pretty much after the BRM paipo board....

I had given up making my own boards because of the dust and nasty chemicals. I guess shaping a wooden board could be a little less toxic.

Nothing a good 3m mask and full paper overalls, gloves and gumboots wont fix.

Where has do your boards fail? the same place each time? personally I would use carbon to strengthen the area's that needed extra strength. And Kevlar for the spots that needed extra impact resistance.

I'm in the same wagon as you. Through the years i owned a lot of kite surfboards from the major companies. Some simply doesn't work , even tunninng fins and footstraps position, some others break so fast, one of them the first session cracked the rail from front footstrap to nose. There are few models i really like and i try to be careful when riding it in good conditions in order to keep it the most time as possible.Mutant would work as a second board for bump and jump and NO perfect conditions days. I personally don't like the lack of volume and buoyancy.I vote for going custom specially if you have good shapers near you or in your country, you can have a copy of your favorite board, probably stronger and ligther.One of the best boards i owned was a custom DCboardz, it taked alot of abuse and the construction hold it perfectly . Problem for me going custom is to deal with adouanes fees and shippings

I know we're hardly "local" for you, but I make a range of boards to address the exact problems that you are experiencing with some (most?) surf constructions.

As always, there is a trade off in that the boards are a little heavier than the boards that break, but I've not yet encountered anyone who has found the weight to limit their riding, be it strapped or strapless.

The boards do not just have "extra glass" thrown at them:

*The PU core is not a standard core, but a specific HD core that has been used for kite designs for a number of years already. It is a great balance between impact resistance and flexibility.

*The polyester resin is a custom formulation with superior flex and shear characteristics compared to most "off the shelf" resins used in surfboard manufacture.

*The glass layup is completely different from anything else that I am currently aware of. The combination of the unique layup and HD core has resulted in super tough and durable boards with the underfoot responsiveness that you'd expect from epoxy boards.

*Futures fin boxes as standard. No boxes have broken out to date, including boards being rolled around in massive shorebreaks etc.

I personally weigh in at 110kg, I ride my boards hard and jump plenty high every session. No breakages and after 4 months of use on the latest batch of demo boards there are hardly even any heel dents (other "kite surfboards" heel dent badly within 1 session).

So def chat to your local board builders as there are solutions to be had.Otherwise you're welcome to hit us up with your orders as our crappy exchange rate makes for great deals off shore

And finally, add a six inch round Kevlar patch under your front heel to spread the impact.

Best idea Yet !

One step further would be to take 6mm wide router, and take-out a line below your heal, onthe upper deck. Do the last few mm by hand but go all the way to the bottom skin "Without"damaging the bottom skin. Now shape a section of foam , ( or balsa wood) on end-grain,as an insert into the groove you just made ; make it fit Loose.

Just wrap the insert with a bit of glass & risen before you insert it ; then addthat Kevlar patch last. Ya Won't be crushing the Core material in That spot, ever again !!

Carbon on a + - 45deg will work Better, but glass is fine ; just use More of it. Themain thing you did is make the core crush-proof ; an added bonus is now theupper & lower skins are tied together making it WAY stronger than it was before.

windyway wrote:

Naish and Slingshot kitesurf boards are very durable ...

My old Naish sky pirate kite-surfboard is so stout, i'v broken (2) fake legson it so-far, & the board doesn't have a scratch on it !!

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